Anna Roters Project I

january 1st / new years day Goldegg i. Pongau, Austria In the province of Salzburg, especially in some villages of the Pongau and Pinzgau, the traditional and now rare medieval custom of "Perchtenlaufen" has survived. Although, like all pagan customs, it was fought against by the church for centuries, almost disappeared because of targeted elimination and was forced to adapt to the spirit of the time depending on the region. In many larger towns this spectacle has become a tourist event. Only rarely does it still refer to its traditional origins, as in Goldegg, with its parade through the streets and farms, their dances and the various figures operate as the transmission of faith. The so-called "Perchten", exclusively featuring boys and men, bring luck and fertility for the new year and scare away the demons – each figure in this performance plays its own significant role. In folk belief it is still true today: many Perchten mean a good year for the people of the village. (INFO "YEAR": the photographic work was created over 3 years (2018-2020). In the third year it was self-published in a book.)